Artwork Page for The Sphinx

Details / Information for The Sphinx

The Sphinx

c. 1853

John Beasley Greene

(American, 1832–1856)
Culture
America
Medium
salted paper print from waxed paper negative
Measurements
Image: 23.2 x 29.6 cm (9 1/8 x 11 5/8 in.); Mounted: 39.8 x 56.5 cm (15 11/16 x 22 1/4 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 61 cm (20 x 24 in.)
Credit Line
Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund 2009.277
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

The son of a wealthy banker, Greene was an American but born and raised in Paris. At a young age, he became an avid archaeologist focusing on the Middle East. Before embarking on his first trip to Egypt in 1853 at age 19, he learned photography so he could accurately document excavations, discoveries, and inscriptions, but he also used the relatively new medium to produce elegant landscapes such as the view of Thebes nearby. Greene, who was involved in excavations of the Great Sphinx, died in Cairo in 1856, possibly of tuberculosis.
A muted brown salted paper print depicts a weathered sandstone sculpture of a human-headed lion. Positioned right and facing left, the monument is partially buried in sand. Its facial features are eroded, showing a large indentation at the nose. In the distance to the right, a sharp-angled pyramid stands against a pale sky. The surrounding desert landscape consists of uneven mounds and pits, rendered in soft, sepia tones.

The Sphinx

c. 1853

John Beasley Greene

(American, 1832–1856)
America

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